Electric winding mechanism for timepieces.



L STBIGER @zz J. BESANGON. ELECTRIC WINDING MECHANISM FOR TIMBPIECES.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 12, 1909.

@@QQB Patented Mar. 1, 1910' Y@ MMM @friki/32646150 f mi? me,

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tiener jira nnnoriero rfinnrive- Meenemen Fon rrarnrrnons.

Specification ci Letters Patent. tool M13@ Q figlia@ Applicatie-n tiled.1.2%, i969. Serial Een. $5,335.

'lo all whom it may com-ern:

T be itwiinownthat encon tormenti and JAMES Besanon, citizens otSwitzerland,

and residents, the. lirst 'of 4liest?.ngen, Doper' ment ot' the Doubs',State'of lrciice, end. second of La haux-vdellontls, 'Canton ofNeuchtel, and State of Switiierlentl, have inventcdcer-tain new anduseful Electric Winding illeclienisin :tor Timepieces, oit which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates ite 'mechanism for periodicallyT utilizing anelectric current to nctunte means for windingv the movement of a timepiece. v

One object of the invention is to'pronide simple means tor winding atime piece the windingmeans beingA connected in an electric circuitywhich is broken during the time ot operation of the movement. but whichcircuit is closed as the movement runs down thereby actuating thewinding mechanism and causing the latter to vwind the timepiecemovement. i

A. further object of the invention is to provide means ttor insuringthewinding of the movement in cose the current emanating from the sourcethereof, is not eutliciently strong` to accomplish this result.

Other objects ot the invention will he disclosed. in the followingdescription, reference heinghad to the accounimnying drawing wherein:-

Figure l 1s an elevational view of an ep- .peratus constructed accordingto the present intention. Fig: 2 isla cross sectional View` taken on thebroken line .lf-l-MC---D of. Fin 1 v 'zlhe `ti1ne-keeper illustratedcomprises a drivingflbarrel a, actuating the pinion t: of theescapeinent wheel c by the aid. ot the pinions! and Wheels cl, e, g, itand z' respectively. The -ratchet w reel 7c of the barrel gears with apinion Z, revolvingwitli a wheel in, which ears with a pinion'n, re-

volvingr with a wheel o which is in inesh with o worm p. fixed upon thedriving` shaft y or" a smell electro-motor r of which one brush 8 1nfrictional Contact with' the collector' is connected by means of anwneei e there is lined a collet y, having a notch e' and revolving as aresult of the action of the barrel a'. in the direction indo cated. oythe arrow L the action` of the electroniotor c in the directionindicated by tlie ori-ow 'lo a metallic piller (S, screwed` lo :i bridge7 of 'the movement, is fitted oy one or' its extremities4V a. flatspring' 8, the' other extremity ,of which terminates in dog 9, hearing'con stantljy against the :tace of the collet y. To the pillar t3 is'also secured. e yoke l0 of insulating materiel, supporting e iat spring11,'comiectcd by means ol en insulated conducting Wire 1Q to thenegative pole of the above mentioned source of electrical energy.

Carried by this fiat spring il is an adjusting` screw 3 3, with thepoint of which the flat spring; 8 is adapted to Contact, es soon es thenotch a' of the collet i/ is in line with the dog@ of this lat spring.flt'tlie other end, the Het spring il carries an arm 14, the end l5 or"which yheare upon the periphcry of the collet 1. The posit-ion ofthe Hatspring ll and otite arm is so arranged that even though the dop; 9 ofthe fiat spring 8 rests on the collet gf, while not engaged in the notchof this collet, the point of the screw i3 ie in contact with the seidliet spring S, as long es the extremity 15 of the arm le bearsogainstcthe collet 3, So that the contact `between `the screw lf3 andthe flatspringY S ,will only be broken, the moment the extremity l5 cithe arno lll catches into the notch l ot the collet 3.

I lv'lnle the movement isl'in oeration as a resultof the action ofitsbarre a, and whilethe parts occupy `the position ns indicated by Fig. l,the electric circuit, Within which is included themotor fr, is broken inas much as there is en absence of Icontact between the screw .13 and theliet spring 8. Since however the collet i/ rotatesin the directionindicated by the arrow L'tne notch e will m time comeinto -line with thedog '5l of the flat' spring 8; the' dog will then catch therein, causingthe screw to contact with this llat spring, vhich will complete thevcircuit and operate the motor fr, Whose worm p,

actuating the wheel 0, winds up the barrel a byineans of its ratchetwheels. The col let 3 participating in ,the motion produced i by theelectroinotor, rotates in the direction @n the arbor 2 of the wheel mlixed a collet y3, having e' vtiotch 4l, enti heine; adapted to rotateunder LID with the ratchet Wheel f:

indicated by the arrovfT 5', and its notch, corresponding no longer withthe extremity l5 of the arm 14, is litted by the aid ot the 'face Aofthis collet 3 which will make contact between the screw 13 and the flatspring 8 or the whole time of one entire revolution of this collet andconsequently the wheel m, quite independent of the length of the notch sand the strength of the source of electrical energy.

lt is evident that the winding up et' the barrel of the movementmightalso be accomplished without the intervention ot the collet 3 andof the arm lll, but in such a case it would become necessary to adjustwith great nicety the length of the notch z of the collet y, to secure asuliiciently long,r period of contact to insure the operation of theelcctromotor long enough to ctect the winding of the time piece. Besidesshould in the long run the strene'th of the source of electrical energyfall ohA through wear, the speed of the eiectromotor would necessarilydiminish and become inadequate to accomplish its work oit winding up thebarrel within the time that the dog 9 is engaged in the notch z andstoppage ol the movement would ensue after a certain lapse of time. Toovercome this diiliculty it would be possible to venlarge the notch z tosuit the diminution oi the electrical Iscarcely be feasible, tor in sucha case, when n l energy, but this course will replacing or strengtheningthe source of electrical energy it would become necessary to replacealso the collet y. By adopting however thefauxiliary collet 3 and thearm 14, this dilliculty 'is entirely obviated and permanent and regularwinding up of the movement is thereby insured, Whatever the decrease inelectrica energy may be, and this will continue so until the source ofelectrical energy is exhausted to such an extent, that it no longer ableto work the. electron'iotor at all. The auxiliary collet 3 might justwell be placed on any other arbor than the one indicated, alwaysprovided that the same is made coactive with one ot the intermediategears between the electromotor and the barrel, so tor example it mightcooperate of the barrel and in escena this case, it would be providedWith a plurality of notches, to successively engage the ,dat ,spring l1,with a View to insure a Suthciently long period of contact forcompleting and breaking the circuit of the electromotor.

The motor, pertaining to themovement, which in the example shown, isconstituted by a. spring barrel, might also be a Weight, acting upon aroll or toothed cylinder. l

'lhe form, the sizes and the relative arrangement of the various partsot' the mechanism, may be considerably varied Without departing 'fromthe spirit ot the invention defined by the accompanyingA claims.

Having now described our invention, we claim as new and wish to secureby Letters Patent l. ln clock Winding mechanism of the characterdescribed, the, coml'iination with an electric motor, ot a pair ofcontact members for closing the motor circuit, a collet engaging one ofsaid members and permitting the same to descend by gravity at apredetermined time, and a second collet acting upon the second Contactmember to raise the same into contact with its companion member,substantially' as described.

2. ln clock Winding mechanism of the character described, thecon'ibination with an electric motor. ot' a pair of parallel contactmembers for closing the motor circuit, a dog at the extremity ot onecont act member and an arm depending: from the other Contact member, arotary collet having its face engaging the dog and having a slot intoWhich the dog falls to permit the contact member to descend by gravity,and a Second collet acting upon said arm to elevate the contact memberwhich carries it into Contact -with its companion member, substantiallyas described.

Sig-ned at Berne in the canton of Berne.

and State ot Switzerland this 3d day of May A. l). 190).

.li-'hCOB STEGER. JAMES BESMKNQON.

Witnesses i Gmo. Hnmmon, lino J. FRAN iinN'rnAL.

